True Rest
Posted by matthew on January 30, 2008
As I’ve mentioned briefly before, I’m basically disabled now with a strange illness, one that doctors (so far) cannot diagnose. I cannot walk more than a couple blocks, clean my place, do shopping, lengthy cooking, etc, without getting a disorientation that lasts for hours. This doesn’t mean I can’t do all those things, simply that there are consequences which mean that if I do, I won’t be able to concentrate, talk without some slurring, or walk in a straight line.
Far from being resentful about this state, it’s brought to the surface a huge amount of insights surrounding how I live my life. The latest insight, which brought many tears, was simply how I do not let myself rest. There’s a strange guilt and defensiveness about letting myself truly do nothing. Like many, I defined my value in terms of the value I bring to others and to the world. A certain amount of repose may be necessary to “recharge”, but it was something to get over with quickly so I could get back to what brought goodness to the world.
This is something very common to many people. Our culture trains us on productivity. Even our “healing” techniques are about results, getting somewhere, making productive “healing time”.
I recently did some channeling on what “True Rest” is:
True Rest is a temporary suspension of ‘normal’ activity in which the typical processes of the mind, the body, and emotions, are allowed to revert to their actual, natural state.
All of you – and we say this without exception – spend the majority of your time in a state of constant contraction, in a state of constant tension. Without this conflict, both internal and external, there would be little growth. It is a function of the physical plane to provide you with a constant sense of imbalance so that you have something to move against. A state of rest, therefore, is a momentary setting aside of this perpetual process in order to touch again your actual natural state.
Getting to Rest
The key for me to this channeling is the word “allowing”. This should be no surprise to regular readers of my writings. If I try to rest, if I exert focus to recharge, then I’m not resting – I’m putting myself again in that constant state of contraction. This state of rest is a true letting go, a detachment from trying to get anything and entering an empty space without expectation or desires. If you think on how many messages we get on a daily basis on what we should desire and do, you can see why most people rarely get there.
This state of rest is really about being in a completely receiving state. As I wrote a year and a half ago, giving and receiving are essentially part of the same process. It’s all about energy flow: if you wish to give more, you need to allow more to come in. Likewise, you cannot accept and receive gifts from others and have the wonder of them “stick” without giving in some way. Most of us are focused on the giving, which is why so many of us are depleted, depressed, and aimless. Receiving is as loving an act as giving, for it lets another touch our soul. It is the touch that is loving – not the gift of giving. There is nothing more to Love on this earth than one soul touching another with a bare vulnerability.
Gateways to rest
As we channeled, we all have gateways to this state of deep rest. Exploring this has brought up many fears for me. More channeling described this:
When one is in that state of rest, a sense of time is suspended momentarily as you move into a state of being without any other distractions, thoughts, feelings, or sensations. It can be terrifying to give up all the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that you feel define you, which is why many of you resist moving into an actual state of rest even momentarily.
There is something tremendously transformative about that state of being, which was described earlier as “The Void“. Happiness is nothing more than connecting to Who We Are. With all those distractions bombarding us, most of which are self-created, it is hard to really be connected to Self. This is why many people meditate. And yet, if meditation is not about rest – such as if it’s turned into a job to do to reach enlightenment – then the inner path becomes a battle and war zone. It is not about happiness and joy.
It’s amazing to me how much of what we do “for ourselves” isn’t connected to this happiness and joy. To me, giving myself that gift of rest is all about that, and I know the more I allow myself enter that state, the more this gift will shine through to others.
So I invite comments for this one: what brings you that deep sense of rest, as described here? I’d really like to know.
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Tags:allowing, attraction, awareness, blog, body, channeling, conflict, emotions, enlightenment, giving, growth, healing, letting go, life, love, loving, meditation, rest, Self, self improvement, thoughts, writing
Filed Under: channeling, love, rest, transformation
Thanks for sharing that. I really liked it.
This is ironic, and speaking of channeling, I have something in relation to this topic in my blog, but it’s about channeling with art.
Anyways, I have recently entered a phase of my life where I actually learned how to do just what you are describing. The way I do it, since you asked, is by doing nothing, just as you described. It happened by accident, actually, when I reached a day when I was so completely worn out, from years of self-whipping into shape, that I had no choice. My whole body, mind, and spirit seemed to collapse, and I found myself in bed the entire day. I slept most of the time too. I would wake up, look at the clock, see the sunlight outside, and think, “I should get up.” But, deep inside I felt this, “No, you shouldn’t. Just stay.” I listened to this and layed back down each time, closed my eyes again, and went to sleep. When I awoke for about the 5th time, I looked out the window to see the sun setting. Then I thought, “I am so pathetic. I did nothing today.” Then I thought about this a little more and changed my perspective to, “I am so happy. I did nothing today. This was incredible. I did nothing.” This was an awakening for me, because I realized that doing nothing did more than doing something at this point, for it was the only thing I wasn’t doing……if that makes any sense. It was, therefore, the only activity whose rewards were not able to reach me, since I was already doing everything else there was to do.
Right away, I noticed mental clarity and new insights which have improved my productivity when I am doing something. This has re-inforced my conviction that I did the right thing that day by doing nothing, and I am allowing myself to do this more often now.
That was a long response.
Thanks for sharing this.
Nature has always had the power to bring me back to my natural state, and how fitting, don’t you think? When I first began learning about how to meditate, it was almost impossible, especially when I thought there was a certain way to do it and a certain outcome to be expected from it. Then one day it hit me that I’ve always been able to meditate, and had spent many days of my childhood doing so, sitting out in the woods or by the riverside, just being and becoming one with my surroundings. There is no pressure to be this or that, and the animals lead a great example. So when you can, find a quiet place in God’s Garden and just BE.
~Peace~
Rachel
I have only felt a true restful state last summer while I was at the beach. I was laying on a couch watching uninteresting tv, and I felt this complete relaxation bliss, like I could just flop & it was okay for once. In that moment, I realized I hadn’t felt that way since I was a child.
But, I was also hanging out with a friend of mine who has a very big heart. That’s just who he is. I feel like everything is okay when I’ve spent time with him.
Have you looked into the Cerebellum. When mine is low I get dizzy. It has to do with recalling/deciphering truths & the past. Would that make sense~ if you were detoxing a lot of energy there.
*Well Wishes*
~heidi
Thank you for sharing that. I was contemplating this same thing yesterday and realizing that I am not taking the time I need to rest and enter the space of deep silence. As I was contemplating this, I called up my favorite way and place to enter this state – I have a place in the mountains I go – about a 45 minute drive – when I am in dire need of healing and rest. I sit against a tree I’ve come to love with a stream running by all alone. Being alone in nature – really alone – just me and the trees and the water (and all the animals – so not truly alone!) is deeply restful to me. Nature has been and is my true healer and the place where I can rest and fill up. Blessings to you.
For myself as well. I regularly go to a spot in the forest at night and simply sit and breathe.
Sometimes, when I meditate, I am able to go into the Void. It isn’t something I plan, or something I do. It is a state of being that I am able to touch. When I am there, I am not aware of my surrounding, sounds or thoughts. When I come back into my awareness, I am in such a state of bliss.
I was once at a group meditation. Everyone was asked to share what they learned in their meditations. When it was my turn, I attempted to explain that I don’t bring back any thoughts about being there. It truly feels like a void with no sound, no words, no pictures, no thoughts. The lady that was asking for our thoughts about the meditation said to me, “Well, honey if you remember anything, please let us know.” She really didn’t get what I was saying to her. She was also being condesending. I don’t “bring” anything back from these session but the feeling of bliss. And no I didn’t fall asleep. The feeling is much deeper than falling asleep. Falling asleep still has thoughts and images going through your mind. I can do this with silent meditations or guided meditations. I can’t tell you how I do it because I don’t do anything. It either happens for me or it doesn’t.
Sounds very much like that post. A state of pure potential, like what a baby is like. The formlessness that is described as the Tao. Bring those words to your meditation group.
For me it’s those rare nights I just lie down on my bed and fall asleep within seconds, waking up the next day and feeling as if I’d slept a week.
I would really like to get a full night’s sleep one of these days!
Hi Matthew
You said, “There’s a strange guilt and defensiveness about letting myself truly do nothing.”
I, like you, am experiencing illness that is debilitating. Mine is diagnosed however. Not that it really matters, because the important thing I’ve found is allowing my self to be unwell, not do and somehow find peace there. I would have thought it would be easy, having worked too hard, too long, desperately needing rest. Yet, even the rest I fight. When that happens, I get illness on top of illness, the flu that makes me lie down, sleep, in order to function at any level.
It is difficult still for me to understand why this illness has come in this way. So many years of one thing compared to this last several months seems not to always make a difference. But if I can shift my thinking just a bit, I realize this is what I have been asking for. A time of rest.
I was recently reading a Seth-based approach to illness, which started with the question: “What does this illness permit you to do that you would not normally be doing?”
In my case, there’s certainly more rest. There’s more time and permission to explore a lot of the stored emotions in my body, leftover hurt and pain from childhood, and many assumptions I’ve carried since then. It forces me to move through life more slowly and with deliberation. So there are many gifts.
It would be nice if we created a society that gave lots of time for rest for “healthy” people as well. I think it is heading there, but it’ll take hundreds of years to see it in Western society. In Ladakh in India, which felt like a second home to me, I saw that built into the culture there. It was so peaceful.
I woke up today completely exhausted. Worn out. Matter of fact briefly fell asleep reading your blog. Hard to concentrate on anything. At first I thought it was residual from Astral travel however after reading this I feel that’s what it is. I do not under any circumstance let my self rest completely. When I sit my mind is racing. Then I’m up and down doing things and taking care of my mother. I’m a writer and I use Ezinearticle.com for research. I was led to you Matthew. As I got on the site I noticed your pic and about Loving Awareness and especially that you were an actor since my boyfriend is an actor also. Maybe you can refer me to a good reader/psychic. I am “gifted” however you know how difficult it can be to read yourself. I need someone who can truly get into the depths with me to discuss this journey I have been on for the last 3 years. Anyway this whole thing falls into “Divine timing” it was a sign from my spirit guide that I need to rest. So in spite of having 15 articles due tomorrow that is exactly what I’m going to do.
Blessed Be,
Silver
I think we always ignore our body’s signs and selectively listen to what our body is trying to tell us. Once I heard that illness is a good thing because it calls your attention to what is going wrong and gives you a chance to correct it. Illness is somehow a way to bring you back home (to your soul and body), showing that you are both and need to find balance.
I wish you all the best!
Take care.
Rest is often allowing the tides of the inner journey to carry me wherever they will.
Malcolm
The sense of deep rest comes when there is a genuine allowing of not knowing anything, not going anywhere, just being open — listening — nakedly.
This atmosphere of simplicity invites what is, trusting the source that actually been carrying and supporting life all along, to keep on carrying this life form into whatever situations it is supposed to experience.
So I would say, trust in the no-thingness of what I truly am, is the key to exist in the world, without tension.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
I’ll be sure to drop by more often.
Hello Matthew,
I was writing today to send you good thoughts and prayers. Knowing you have been ill, you were on my mind in the last few days. Hope all is well and it is true rest you are experiencing.
Barbara
Sahaja meditation gives me rest of the muscles, of the body, of the mind, of the soul. Just me and myself. Pls check this out http://www.freemeditation.ca
In Vancouver there is a free screening event on 20th of March at 6.30 in UBS Robson Square – Media Center Theatre. Thanks a lot for your post!
Thank you for this wonderful read and also the comments made have been helpful. I too, struggle with just “doing nothing”, very challenging for a warrior (me!) who has been all about PRODUCTIVITY. I have lately been more with myself thru meditation tho it is hard for me to go there…I still find myself resisting it. Quieting the monkey mind is a challenge! However, my current physical mobility limitations are a blessing (thanks for the reminder that it is!) and so, TRUE REST has made itself more available to me.
~Blessings, Mari Lynn
This is a great article, Matthew. I don’t find that I overwork myself, but when I need rest, I have a tendency to distract myself with the Internet instead of truly resting. That last part about meditation really struck me. I have been trying to meditate more regularly, but I kept resisting it because I keep telling myself I “should”. If I instead regard it as my time to stop and rest (as I have done occasionally), I do it naturally and happily. Thanks for the reminder!